vindictive

English

WOTD – 8 April 2010

Etymology

(deprecated template usage)

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Latin vindicta (“vengeance”), from vindico (“claim, vindicate”), from vindex (“defender”), +‎ -ive.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /vɪnˈdɪk.tɪv/

• Audio (AU):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪktɪv

Adjective

vindictive (comparative more vindictive, superlative most vindictive)

1. Having a tendency to seek revenge when wronged, vengeful.
   • 1920, D. H. Lawrence, chapter 18, in Women in Love‎^[1]:

     The vindictive mockery in her voice made his brain quiver.

   • 1933, H. G. Wells, The Shape of Things to Come‎^[2]:

     The victors will exact vindictive penalties and the losers of course will undertake to pay, but none of them realizes that money is going to do the most extraordinary things to them when they begin upon that.

2. (obsolete) punitive

Synonyms

• vengeful, revengeful, nasty
• See also Thesaurus:vengeful

Derived terms

• vindictively
• vindictiveness

Related terms

• vindicate
• vindication
• vindicator

Translations

having a tendency to seek revenge

• Armenian: վրեժխնդիր (hy) (vrežxndir), ոխակալ (hy) (oxakal), քինոտ (hy) (kʻinot)
• Czech: mstivý m, pomstychtivý m
• Danish: hævngerrig
• Dutch: rancuneus (nl), wraakzuchtig (nl)
• Finnish: kostonhaluinen (fi), kostonhimoinen
• French: vindicatif (fr), rancuneux (fr)
• Georgian: შურისმაძიებელი (šurismaʒiebeli), შურისმგებელი (šurismgebeli)
• German: rachsüchtig (de)
• Hungarian: bosszúszomjas (hu)
• Icelandic: hefnigjarn m, heiftrækinn m
• Ido: venjema (io), venjavida
• Irish: aifearach, agrach
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: vendicativo (it)
• Kurdish:

  Sorani:

• Maori: whakamau, kaikiko, turatura, whakakaitoa
• Polish: mściwy (pl), złośliwy (pl) m
• Portuguese: vingativo (pt), vingador
• Romanian: vindicativ (ro), răzbunător (ro), dușmănos (ro) m, ranchiunos (ro) m
• Russian: мсти́тельный (ru) (mstítelʹnyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: dìoghaltach
• Spanish: vindicativo (es), vengativo
• Swedish: hämndlysten

Further reading

• “vindictive”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “vindictive”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “vindictive”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.